Luggage carriers or article rack assemblies are used in a variety of applications to transport articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle. The rack assembly generally has an elevated frame that is supported above the vehicle surface by a plurality of support structures such as brackets or stanchions that connect the frame to the vehicle.
The frame may include a pair of side rails which extend longitudinally between the support assemblies, one or more cross rails that extend transversely between the side rails, and a support structure at each end of a side rail.
To facilitate the connection between the assemblies and the vehicle, apertures are placed in the vehicle surface. Fasteners are disposed between an assembly and the corresponding vehicle connection apertures. Vehicle surfaces are built with pre-determined tolerances as part of the vehicle surface specification. To account for these and other tolerances the assemblies typically include slots that receive the fasteners and to also permit the assemblies to adjust or slide in a fore and aft position.
Typically, the fasteners are bolts having a large head portion at a first end and a threaded shank portion at an opposing second end for threadingly engaging the connection apertures. The large head portion is used to seal the entire slot receiving the fastener to prevent fluid intrusion and take into account the largest tolerance specified on the vehicle surface. Fluids and other undesired contaminants would otherwise intrude into the aperture, flow down the shank portion, and leak into the vehicle interior.
Unfortunately, the packaging of the rack assemblies or the specification makes the use of fasteners with larger heads unavoidable. Thus, it would be desirable to have a structure that accounts for the build tolerances on vehicle surfaces, prevents the undesirable intrusion of contaminants into a vehicle, and permits the use of a fastener with a smaller head.